Chapter 17

First Mission (6)

The Myung Cult Guardian stared intently at the blade pointed at him by Namgung Jun. Merely having a sword aimed at him stirred a strange sense of pressure.

There was no aura infused into it, yet it felt as though the air itself were being split apart. The sword intent flowing from the blade of a youth not yet twenty was astonishingly dense.

'Why am I feeling this from nothing more than a brat?'

The Myung Cult Guardian forcibly dismissed the unsettling sensation creeping up on him. He crushed a small pebble beneath his foot.

As the pebble crumbled under his sole, he regained his composure and looked at Namgung Jun with calmer eyes.

And that allowed him to perceive the truth more clearly.

An ordinary flow of qi.

A pitiful body lacking proper refinement.

A single cloud embroidered on his sleeve.

The inexplicable pressure he had felt at first had surely been a momentary illusion.

Or perhaps the brat before him simply possessed exceptional talent for bluffing.

"So you stalled for time just to wait for a mere One-Cloud brat?"

As he spoke, the Myung Cult Guardian steadied himself. At the same time, he refused to give Heo Il and Namgung Jun any further opportunity to talk.

Considering how boldly the boy had revealed himself, there was no telling what the two might attempt together.

The Myung Cult Guardian immediately spun around and lunged at Namgung Jun.

His speed in closing the distance was so fast that even Heo Il lost sight of the movement for an instant and reacted a moment too late.

"Young Hero Namgung!"

As Heo Il's urgent shout echoed through the area, Namgung Jun's blade remained both upright and free.

In an instant, a pillar of blue sword light rose before him.

BOOM!

A foot infused with demonic qi shot toward Namgung Jun's forehead.

He blocked it with his sword, but he was still forced backward.

"I'm fine. Senior Heo, please protect the children."

Even in the midst of that exchange, Namgung Jun spoke calmly.

He had deliberately retreated by relaxing the strength throughout his body.

His left calf twisted naturally to the side. Drawing his sword back, Namgung Jun lowered his wrist diagonally and thrust his blade in a slanting line.

CLANG!

Sword tip and sole collided, producing a sharp metallic ring.

The cause was the dense leg qi coating the Myung Cult Guardian's feet.

Even so, Namgung Jun did not withdraw his sword.

Instead, the veins on his right hand bulged visibly.

He struck the pommel of his sword with his left palm, knocking away the incoming foot before immediately stamping down.

THUD!

As he planted his foot and roused the strength of his entire body, Namgung Jun's sword momentum gradually accelerated.

The Myung Cult Guardian spun through the air and hurriedly stabilized himself, lashing out with his left leg like a whip.

Swordsmanship and kicking techniques collided repeatedly, sweeping up clouds of dust.

Feeling the accumulating recoil, the Myung Cult Guardian narrowed his eyes.

BOOM! BANG!

The left leg that had kicked the sword trembled visibly.

It had been a powerful strike, yet Namgung Jun's blade had not been pushed back much at all.

"Hah."

Feeling a dull ache in his ankle, the Myung Cult Guardian let out a puzzled sound.

At that moment, Namgung Jun stomped the ground again and surged forward.

His body rose slightly and spun as sword strikes poured out one after another.

A blade filled with sword force rushed forth vertically and horizontally without pause.

The continuous attacks embodied the profound principles of the heavy sword.

The very air seemed to scream beneath the overwhelming sword force.

It was astonishing where such power was coming from.

CRASH!

Faced with the storm-like assault, the Myung Cult Guardian did not retreat.

Countless afterimages of legs accompanied his light footwork, suppressing the incoming sword strikes.

"So the arrogant brat had something to rely on after all!"

The Myung Cult Guardian immediately countered the Great Flame Sword Art and began pressing the attack.

After exchanging several moves, he appeared to have adapted to Namgung Jun's sword.

Namgung Jun extended his right foot and slowly drew in a long breath.

Ordinarily, it was difficult for a martial artist to overcome a difference in cultivation during a fight to the death.

Cultivation was not the sole factor determining victory, but the disparity was undeniable.

'In terms of cultivation alone, I'm at a disadvantage.'

If moving from Third-Rate to First-Rate involved refining forms and techniques while learning to operate internal energy accordingly, then the Peak Realm was the stage where form, technique, and internal energy became completely unified.

When internal energy fully merged with one's techniques, it could manifest not only within the body but beyond it as well.

That was why the symbol of the Peak Realm was sword qi infused into a weapon—or palm force unleashed directly from one's hands.

THUD!

Even the Myung Cult Guardian before him coated both feet with leg qi, gaining superiority in both power and destructive force.

Meanwhile, Namgung Jun possessed nothing but a sword in his hand as he barely endured the onslaught.

"What can you possibly do in this situation?!"

As he continuously attacked, the Myung Cult Guardian began to relax little by little when Namgung Jun showed no sign of resistance.

Yet Namgung Jun's expression remained tranquil.

'Sword qi and palm force are merely parts of martial arts.'

The swordsmanship he had accumulated in his previous life was not so shallow that it would be overwhelmed by something like this.

THUD!

Namgung Jun planted his foot and raised his sword overhead.

"As long as there is a sword in my hand."

The tips of the Myung Cult Guardian's feet aiming for his flank, heart, and both thighs were reflected perfectly in his pupils.

"I can do anything."

His eyes sank into profound stillness as he murmured those words.

Like someone reciting the essence of a martial art.

In truth, it was one of the ideals embodied within the sword he pursued.

Namgung Jun did not think about what came afterward.

He poured every ounce of strength he had left into a single instant.

All for the sake of realizing, however faintly, the sword path he envisioned within his mind.

SHWAAANG!

The moment the Myung Cult Guardian met the blue radiance filling Namgung Jun's eyes, a cry of shock escaped him.

'What just happened?'

He could not properly comprehend what had occurred.

The sword of that brat from the Azure Heaven Society had suddenly blurred.

Then his right leg had been knocked aside, and an enormous recoil force had crashed through his body.

Suppressing the blood surging up from his chest, the Myung Cult Guardian took a step back for the first time.

A heavy tearing sound erupted.

A streak of azure light ripped through the air.

With a single horizontal slash, it crushed all four kicking techniques rushing toward him.

The deepened blue radiance traced a lofty arc.

The sublime skill infused into the sword completely dismantled the Myung Cult Guardian's attacks.

"W-What?!"

The Myung Cult Guardian leapt into the air and repeatedly lashed out with his legs.

The dark crimson demonic qi wrapped around his feet still surged violently.

Namgung Jun thrust his sword forward as well.

If they collided head-on like this, Namgung Jun's sword—lacking sword qi—should naturally be pushed aside or shattered.

Yet there was not the slightest hesitation in his movements.

The blue radiance shining in his eyes remained unwavering.

Just before the two martial artists clashed, Namgung Jun twisted his wrist to the left.

His blade shifted at a subtle angle and pressed down against the side of the Myung Cult Guardian's instep.

As Namgung Jun drove his hand forward, the sword swept upward and knocked the man's foot aside.

The profound elegance hidden within that seemingly hazy sword movement caused the Myung Cult Guardian's eyes to widen.

At the same time, Namgung Jun's blade entered the perfect range and tore through the air.

Ten sword strikes curved simultaneously toward different directions.

For a brief instant, the Myung Cult Guardian's reaction slowed.

Thirteen Flashing Lightning Swords.

Tenth Form. Ten Currents.

The sword light that had shot forward in a straight line blurred and bent, instantly splitting into ten streaks that pierced through the air.

"AAAAARGH!"

The Myung Cult Guardian collapsed to his knees, blood spraying from his entire body.

His right foot in particular had been struck four times and was nearly reduced to shreds.

"Impossible!"

"Lord Guardian?"

The demonic cultists who had been fighting Heo Il turned their heads in shock.

SHHK!

Seizing that opening, Heo Il beheaded two of them.

Yet his own expression was hardly any different.

'He defeated a Peak Realm martial artist by himself!'

No matter how talented Namgung Jun was, Heo Il had never believed he could defeat the Myung Cult Guardian alone.

That was why he had intended to slaughter the remaining cultists as quickly as possible and then assist him.

But he had never imagined the Guardian would be killed so quickly.

Never once had he expected a mere One-Cloud disciple on his very first mission to achieve such a result.

It was something entirely beyond expectations.

"Senior Heo. I'll help."

Even after facing the Myung Cult Guardian alone, Namgung Jun's voice remained clear and steady.

In fact, his steps as he employed Infinite Step were swift and light.

"Ghk!"

"To think it would end so easily..."

Once Namgung Jun joined the battle, the cultists quickly collapsed.

"Senior Heo. Are you alright?"

Namgung Jun examined Heo Il from head to toe.

There were already more than five visible wounds on his body.

Even so, Heo Il smiled.

"We saved these children. Not a single wound hurts."

"I see."

Namgung Jun smiled as well and turned his head.

The children were huddled together.

After confirming that every one of them was safe, he nodded quietly.

'They remind me of them.'

His gaze grew faintly distant.

Looking at the children gathered together brought memories of his disciples from his previous life.

The former Nam Yeongshin had often taken in children he encountered during his righteous wanderings.

Whenever he saw a child who had once ridden on his back into the Southern Heavenly Palace grow into a proper swordsman and set out to uphold justice, it felt as though he possessed the entire world.

"...Hoo."

Namgung Jun felt the days of his previous life hanging over his heart like dark storm clouds.

The shadows cast by those clouds made his longing, guilt, and affection for his disciples all the more vivid.

But the blue lightning filling his inner world refused to allow those dark clouds to gather completely.

When he raised his head and looked at the children again, his eyes were clear and pure.

Just as his disciples had trusted him and moved forward in his previous life, it was now his turn to use the shadows of those disciples as his guide.

'My disciples. Watch over me. I will strive even harder in this life.'

Namgung Jun smiled gently so the children would feel at ease.

"The first mission has been a success."

***

The two men returned every kidnapped child safely to their homes.

"Ah... I thought my son was already dead."

"Thank you so much, great heroes."

Namgung Jun and Heo Il bowed in response to the commoners' gratitude.

Many offered rewards, but the two men declined and swiftly departed using their movement techniques.

"This isn't the end, is it?"

"Of course not. We've only stopped a single kidnapping operation. The fact that the Sun Moon Demonic Cult has infiltrated Anhui Province is now beyond doubt. We must uproot every trace of them."

Heo Il looked at Namgung Jun with pride.

"Young Hero, you've accomplished something truly remarkable. Under normal circumstances, the mission would have ended at the Assignment Hall."

Even if someone had discovered the kidnappings, resolving everything like this would have been difficult.

In fact, support from the Azure Heaven Society had only arrived after everything was already over.

Namgung Jun glanced at the bloodstained bandages visible beneath Heo Il's robes.

"It seems I'll need to train even harder when we return."

Understanding what he meant, Heo Il let out a helpless laugh.

"I wasn't injured because of you."

"Even so, I've learned where I am lacking. It is only right that I fill those shortcomings."

Heo Il shook his head.

"Young Hero Namgung, you're quite stubborn yourself. I don't know why the Azure Heaven Society has so many people like that."

Laughing, Heo Il walked beside him.

'I've heard the senior members have been arguing over Young Hero Namgung's future.'

A man born with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.

No one knew what the Sun Moon Demonic Cult intended to do with such a person, but it certainly could not be anything good.

Given that, Heo Il could understand why many senior members opposed Namgung Jun's entry into the martial world.

'But... it would be such a waste.'

He stole a glance at Namgung Jun's profile.

A heart that cared for ordinary people.

An unbending sense of righteousness.

Swordsmanship so astonishing that it transcended the gap between realms.

For many reasons, Namgung Jun's talent was simply too brilliant to keep confined within the Azure Heaven Society's headquarters.

Though it had been only a single mission, Heo Il was already convinced that Namgung Jun would one day play a major role within the Azure Heaven Society.

Having fought beside him firsthand, the appearance of such a dazzling young talent was nothing but welcome.

'I'll have to put extra effort into writing the report.'

Since it was Namgung Jun's first mission, this report would undoubtedly have a tremendous impact.

Before they had even reached headquarters, Heo Il was already composing sentences in his mind.

***

Namgung Jun and Heo Il safely returned to the Azure Heaven Society headquarters.

Heo Il headed toward the Ink Fragrance Department to submit his report, while Namgung Jun began making his way back to the Heavenly Sword Hall.

"Namgung Jun. Stop."

A deep voice infused with internal energy rang out from behind him, tugging at the back of his neck.